TAK, Thailand – Border Patrol Police Unit 346 in Mae Sot intercepted a truck packed with brand-new gambling equipment, including baccarat tables, playing cards, chips, and other casino supplies, all destined for a casino in Myanmar’s Myawaddy district. The seizure occurred despite Thailand’s recent decision to cut electricity and fuel exports to Myanmar in an effort to curb transnational crime, particularly call center scams.
On the evening of February 5, Border Patrol officers, led by Colonel Suphawat Srichaichana of the 34th Border Patrol Police Division and supported by Mae Sot’s acting police chief, Colonel Sarayut Phlaengpanya, as well as military personnel and customs officers, stopped the truck in the area of Ban Huai Muang, Tha Sai Luat Subdistrict, Mae Sot. The truck had been attempting to transport the gambling materials across the border to Myanmar.
Upon inspection, authorities found a range of equipment, including several baccarat tables, computer monitors, 243 decks of cards, 444 plastic-wrapped decks, and 153 cardboard-wrapped decks. Other seized items included 96 chips, 4 card dealing boxes, 33 metal stands, 17 Chinese language keyboards, and 22 premium chairs. In total, 19 different gambling-related items were found on the truck.
The equipment was intended for a new casino venture in Myawaddy, with plans to set up a gambling zone for a new investor. It is suspected that the gambling materials were being smuggled through a nearby border crossing point near the casino.
This interception comes amid Thailand’s broader effort to disrupt illegal cross-border activities by cutting electricity and fuel supplies to Myanmar at five key border points, including Mae Sai in Chiang Rai, Mae Sot in Tak, and Kanchanaburi. These measures were implemented starting at 9:00 AM on February 5, as part of a crackdown on transnational crimes.
